


Wounds and Worries

by nebulaism



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Ash Lynx Needs A Hug, Everyone Loves Okumura Eiji, Fluff, I made this in the middle of the nigh soz if its bad, Light Angst, M/M, One Shot, Protective Ash Lynx, Romance, Soft Okumura Eiji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27449440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nebulaism/pseuds/nebulaism
Summary: in which eiji is worried about ash and ash is trying to reassure eiji.
Relationships: Ash Lynx & Okumura Eiji, Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji
Comments: 6
Kudos: 129





	Wounds and Worries

**Author's Note:**

> a short one shot about eiji worrying over ash and ash trying to reassure eiji

Perhaps he was irrational, perhaps all the thoughts swimming inside his head like koi fish dancing their deft routine in the opaque waters of japan held no sensible foundation. Ash was strong, stronger than even his name might suggest. And Eiji knew of his power, the boy had seen it all first hand in the two years he had spent with the jade-eyed lynx. So why, after all this time, did Eiji still shudder in fright as the broken clock ticked away the time, skipping seconds as it did until the reality that ash may not come back finally settled into his stomach, dropping like lead and carving out a cavity in merciless digs. 

One tick.

Eiji couldn’t help the bouncing in his leg nor control the teeth piercing his bottom lip as the clock passed another minute, it’s pearly face taunting the uneasy photographer. When Ash had said there was business to attend to with Arthur the sun had just begun to rise - Eiji could still remember how it flitted through his light hair and changed the hue from honey to gold - and now its brilliant beams had dulled into orange, yellow and rose tints. Fused together like blotched pigment and merged with flakes of burgundy and lavender.

Two Ticks.

Whatever late-night talk show was drowning on in the background had been long forgotten as another tick of the clock passed by, leaving Eiji to stand up and began the now nightly ritual he’s grown accustomed to. He started the pacing slowly, each step carefully measured to match his breathing in a futile attempt to calm the tremors in his hands and the jitters in his legs. Eiji allowed his mind to drift back to hours prior, Ash’s hands delineating small reassuring figures across his arms and wrists as he mumbled sweet nothings with the promise to come home. But what if he didn’t keep that promise?

Three Ticks.

A resounding creak ricocheted against the creme-colored walls, chafing from the wooden door as it slid with great cacophony against the kitchen tile an all too familiar noise. The raven-haired boy found the sensation something akin to scalding water from a shower spigot coursing down your body and washing away the grime after a strenuous day of work with blushing strawberry suds and aromatic candles.

Eiji stopped his movements abruptly, his breath lodged into his throat as a figure slowly dragged themselves from the hallway into the quaint apartment. Peaks of blond hair sprouted out of the black hoodie and a Smith & Wesson Model 27 revolver poked from the waistband of black tattered jeans. Eiji hated that he knew the exact model ash used, hated how normal it felt to see a gun in the belt of the man he so deeply had fallen for. But God did he love seeing ash in one piece. 

“Ash…” He didn’t even attempt to hide the pure relief coursing through his body like adrenaline, filling his veins with enough momentum to race across the living room and envelope Ash in a hug. It was light, his arms barely brushing Ash’s as he examined the man’s body, eyes sizing up the injuries he’d sustained in what he promised to be ‘just a meeting’.

A small purple bruise covered his knuckles, each crease adorned with wine red blood that had dried from the bitter New York weather. A thin line of red was pressed against Ash’s neck, remnants of his own blood he’d clearly tried to clean off still poking through the flesh. Still, despite the few cuts and bruises covering his skin Eiji thanked his lucky stars the man had managed to come back in one piece. He let out the breath he’d held all night and buried his head into the nook of Ash’s neck, finally tightening his hold after deeming the injuries to be fixable with a few My Little Pony band-aids. He nuzzled against the soft skin, inhaling the cheap mint aftershave and gun power that always lingered on his pale skin, another inhale revealed a new scent, one entirely Ash that Eiji could only seem to describe as pine needles and rainwater. 

“Eiji I’m okay, I’m fine, I promise.” Ash cooed, the taut muscles he’d kept on guard all-day relaxing under the weight of Eiji’s affectionate embrace, his warm skin welcomed after being in the December air all day. Kicking the door shut the gang leader finally reciprocated the hug, encompassing the smaller male in his arms a bit tighter than necessary, almost as though if he didn’t clutch onto Eiji he might vanish into thin air, almost as though he would leave him. 

Sighing, Eiji pulled back for a moment, doe eyes shifting into a mock-glare before his arm gave a harmless smack to Ash’s shoulder, pale pink lips shifting to match his eyes with a rather childish pout, “I was worried sick! You have a phone do you not?”

“I was a little bit busy Eiji, couldn’t really tell the other gang I had to let my boyfriend know I was going to be late for dinner.” The words held a tease he reserved solely for Eiji, one that almost always elicited some sort of reaction from the older boy but still held the fondness Ash had whenever speaking to his companion. 

“You are unbelievable!” The Japanese huffed, shooting a glare at the American - though the quirk of his lips quickly refuted his hard eyes - and unraveling his body from Ash’s, “To think I was planning to make shrimp and avocado salad tomorrow."

Ash’s eyes went wide at the notion Eiji was presenting and in an instant the blond had his head bowed and hands clapped together in a pleading stance, “I am deeply sorry for not telling you,”

“You are just teasing me now!”

“I am not!” 

“Argh, you are the worst! That is it I am making Natto for every meal now!” Eiji tilted his chin up and to the left, opening his mouth to continue with the harmless threats only for ash to take the opportunity to steal a kiss.

His lips were cool, no doubt still warming up after the long night in the frigid New York air, but Eiji leaned into the touch all the same. Ash tasted of crystallized sugar that seemed to have been dipped into the richest carmel, addicting. It was a drug and he was certainly an addict. Ash’s sweet honey scent overwhelmed Eiji and he couldn’t help but wrap his arms around the taller man, reaching up to his tippy toes and nuzzling their noses, an action that made the blond swallow a chuckle deep in his throat.

Kissing Eiji was different than any other sensation Ash had come across, it was soft and tender, as though if the Japanese pushed too hard, touched too much, he would shatter the American into a thousand little shards. But then again that might have had some truth behind it. Around Eiji, Ash had come to realize he was fragile. Delicate and vulnerable to every little motion, every intimate touch. Yet, Ash was okay with that, he had long ago succumbed to the power Eiji held over him, whether the raven-haired man knew it or not. He surrendered to the strawberry lips and cherry chapstick, the feather touches, and hair-carding fingers. 

Reluctantly Eiji pulled away, his eyes lingering with a stary smog on the man who always managed to make him feel like putty, and focused his attention on the injuries Ash had sustained, “You were not careful ash, you told me you would be!” Eiji let his lips fall into a pout, left hand poking the non-bruised cheek in an attempt to annoy the blond.

It didn’t seem to work as Ash stared down at Eiji’s hand affectionately, catching it with ease mid-poke and pressing soft caresses to the pads of each finger. This appeared to be a winsome gesture to anyone looking in on the outside, but Eiji knew this tactic far too well. Ash would distract his partner with sappy behavior like kissing his knuckles or nuzzling into his cardigan, the Japanese boy would blush profoundly and all would be pardoned.

That was what transpired on a usual night.

Tonight was not usual.

So instead of swooning at the response Eiji simply disregarded it. (Despite the warmth flooding into his stomach, pooling like the honey from Ash’s lips and hardening like the sugar that danced across his cupid’s bow.) At the pure bewilderment printed across Ash’s face, Eiji had to bite his lip in an effort to conceal his budding grin of amusement.

“Come, let’s go clean your cuts.” Pulling him to the kitchen Eiji situated his dumbfounded body onto one of their wooden chairs, “I will go get the kit that aids, and you will sit right here and not move.”

This seemed to break ash from his trance, his eyes refocusing just in time to grab Eiji’s arm before he made it to the cabinets. A sudden urge to explain how much Eiji meant to him was overwhelming, “You know I love you, right birdie?”

“I love you as well, now sit back down,” Eiji’s voice was barely a whisper and the blush around his ears at the nickname didn’t go unnoticed, “We need to bandage your neck before an infection can get in.”

Folding his hand for this round Ash nods, allowing the man to scurry off and retrieve the small white container with a variety of stickers they had decorated it with. (Well, Eiji decorated and Ash watched) This had become a frequency in the household. Ash would come home bruised and Eiji would fuss over the minor injuries with great conviction before ultimately placing the most embarrassing band-aid he could find on the wound. (Even if by the time morning came the band-aid had mysteriously disappeared)

“That shirt is still stupid,” Ash tutted, eyeing the small embroidered bird stitched across Eiji’s light pink sweater. A sweater the blond had come to learn as Eiji’s all-time favorite by the sheer abundance he would wear it.

“You are stupid, American,” Eiji didn’t look up, so focused on cleaning off his knuckles he missed the bright smile Ash was giving him, instead, pressing feather-light to the wounds with the small disinfectant. He knew it would take longer this way, but Eiji simply couldn’t bear watching Ash in pain, “Besides you have admitted to liking my shirt so do not think you can trick me.”

That was true, Ash had grown fond of the bird sweater and the familiar scent of lavender dryer sheets it always seemed to radiate. But then again, Ash had grown fond of everything that had even the smallest correlation to Eiji. 

Eiji didn’t need to know this though.

“Birdie you really don’t need to do this…” Ash looked off shyly, his free hand rubbing the fair hairs of his neck as a soft pink powdered his cheeks, “it’s just a few cuts and I feel bad making you patch me up every time I get hurt. You do enough already”

“I hardly do a thing, all I do is cook and clean and occasionally take photos. Just allow me to help.” Eiji ducked his head in distress as he resumed wrapping the bruised hand in the cartoon-covered bandages. 

Pulling his hand away slowly Ash tilted Eiji’s face upwards, pressing a gentle kiss into the center of his forehead, affectionate and tender. “Eiji just staying with me is more than I could ever ask of you.”

With a sigh of contentedness, Eiji nods, burrowing his body deeper into the security of ash’s arms.

Maybe Eiji needed to find his confidence

Maybe Ash needed to make good on his promises.

But right now all that could wait until the sun caressed the sky and enveloped the moon.

**Author's Note:**

> The ending is ass and i'm sorry, but stan asheiji


End file.
